In the field of construction, when a building is proposed and a potential site selected, the design of the building typically has to be reviewed and approved by a number of parties. For example, parties where approval may need to be obtained include a municipality in which the structure is to be built and a financing source for the construction of the building, and the like. Since these parties can influence whether a project can be developed and can influence many aspects of the project, based on zoning codes and other ordinances, being prepared and having a detailed presentation before these parties can be important.
Typically, since the preparation of exterior and interior views, floor and unit plans, detailed construction plans, material takeoffs, and the like, are expensive, developers prefer to incur those costs after the project has been approved. Accordingly, developers typically do not have a prototype design and specifications prepared to present to the parties and therefore, the parties can have difficulty understanding what the building will be like and how it will impact the community and land on which it will be constructed.
Additionally, oftentimes with respect to a multi-unit building project, a financing source will want a number of units be pre-sold to assure the financing source that the project will likely be successful and that their investment will be repaid. In many cases, in order to pre-sell units, many developers will build a full scale model unit and invite potential unit buyers into the model to visualize what the units will look like. This is an extremely expensive method and, in a multi-unit building, typically requires the construction of more than just a single unit as well as having at least municipal approval for the project.
Developers are typically skilled in the development of a site and building, but may not be as skilled in presenting to and navigating the approval process or in marketing the units to buyers. For example, a develop may be experienced with the local approval process for a particular geographical area, but when they decide to build in another area, may not know the details of the approval process for that location. In such cases, an approval process through a municipality or other approval board can be difficult to navigate efficiently and can, for example, delay construction, alter the design of the building through municipality recommendations, or end up with the project not being approved after significant time and expenditures may have been made.
Additionally, people generally enjoy the amenities offered by single-family homes, such as yard areas, porches, and the like. Because of the lack of available land within a convenient travel distance from many urban areas, single-family homes are increasingly being replaced by multi-family housing. Another feature of our society which has become less common is that of an attitude of “neighborliness” in higher density housing, such as in an urban setting.